The Penn State chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity had its national charter suspended Friday and is no longer recognized by Penn State after violating an organizational rule regarding alcohol use, according to a fraternity statement.

. . . The fraternity . . . and its national organization are alcohol-free, said . . . Penn State's director of greek life.

However, during a home football game weekend in October, the fraternity's Province President . . . entered the house and saw students drinking alcoholic beverages . . . .

[the Province President] then contacted the national organization this fall about the incident, and the chapter's charter was suspended. . . .

. . . this suspension comes after the fraternity was issued a warning from its national chapter last fall when a video surfaced on YouTube.com showing alcohol in the house.

Update:
Reportedly, Phi Delta Theta's national organization is saying it will take several years before Phi Delt will consider returning to Penn State. For quotes on that, and some addtional information, see the December 12 article on the campus paper's site:

Aw, boo! I loved that house when I was there! And my brothers are Phi Delts at other schools, they'll be bummed...

What I dont understand is that Province presidents and general council members all went to colleges where the Phi Delt chapters allowed alcohol, and nowadays all they ever do is revoke chapters. When they revoke a chapter, GHQ loses people who pay dues, and other chapters make up the difference by having their dues increased. I have little trust for the consultants or the province officials.

Penn State's student paper has an update on Phi Delta Theta's actions regarding the Penn State chapter situation. There reportedly were some expulsions; some members were granted "alumni status," and so on:

. . . eight members of the suspended fraternity were granted alumni status, 33 members of the Penn State chapter were expelled, along with two former chapter presidents and one alumnus. . . .

. . . the former president of the [chapter] said the days of Phi Delta Theta on Penn State's campus could be numbered.

"We have to move on from Phi Delta Theta and start new on the Penn State campus as something else," Kevin Haslam said. "We're going to stay together. We want to remain greek. We have a bunch of options, and we have narrowed it down to a couple strong options, but we're still exploring those."

Haslam had no further comment on the options former members are considering . . . .

Members attended the biannual General Convention in Arizona from Thursday to Sunday in an attempt to appeal all expulsions and "try to get back in active membership," Haslam . . . said. Eight of those members appealed . . . .

Those eight members were placed on alumni status, but because not all expulsions were able to be appealed, the fraternity could not appeal to regain its charter.

. . . Members were given two options: to keep all expulsions intact or to expel 33 members in addition to the chapter's Alumni Corporation President . . ., [a] former active Chapter President . . ., and Haslam. The second option would allow the eight members who appealed at the General Convention to be kept on alumni status, Haslam said.

After being given the options, a unanimous decision was reached to expel the 33 members - plus Thompson, Dunn and Haslam - and keep the eight members of the fraternity who appealed on alumni status, Haslam said.

. . . Penn State had ordered the fraternity to leave their residence by June 30 if members did not reinstate the charter during the General Convention, but Haslam said former members of the fraternity are going to enter into negotiations with the university to attempt to keep the house. . . .

The following, which is a few paragraphs from the end of the article, made me curious. Is there any solid news – not just rumors – about the other fraternity that the former Phi Delts are hoping to reemerge as?

. . . The former Phi Delta Theta members are hoping to keep the house and reemerge as a part of another fraternity that began at the University of Virginia after a similar situation, Thompson [identified in the article as president of the chapter’s alumni corporation] said. . . .

This is sad, what has happened. I had a couple friends in that house that were really cool, this has to suck for them.

As for Phi Delta Theta reemerging as another fraternity, I'd expect them to merge with a smaller frat on campus because I think most of the big fraternities are already on campus. I'll be watching this situation.